The human species could not have survived for long without the experience of fear. The ability to identify certain events and situations as dangerous and respond appropriately is essential for our existence. But these responses are meant to be rare and short-lived. If we cannot switch off this built-in alarm system of ours, it will quickly exhaust us, even turn against us.

Donald Trump's apocalyptic acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland was easily the scariest political event I've ever witnessed outside of 1930s newsreels. As CNN's Anderson Cooper summed up: "He painted a dark and frightening picture of America, he talked about people being attacked by criminals, attacked by terrorists, betrayed by their leaders, the game is fixed. And he said he can be their voice." The thing about this tactic -- a far cry from conservative saint Ronald Reagan's inspirational "shining city on a hill" much less Obama's hope and change optimism -- is that it captures (and, yes, fuels) the zeitgeist of white America.

"Children need to be occupied, they need structure, they need predictability," the experts tell us. Heaven help you if you don't make sure to keep those sticky little hands busy between late June and Labour Day every year. After all, children need structure right? No they don't.

After a lot of self-work and love, I dropped the crap and chose to love myself, every wrinkle, every imperfection inside and out. This form of self-love is what we could be spreading, as opposed to fear of aging and the fear of ending up alone. We were born alone, and we will die alone, whether or not you have a husband and kids, this is true for all of us.

From earliest childhood girls are cautioned about taking risks while boys are encouraged to court danger and seek new experiences. It is a socialization pattern women need to overcome to reach their true potential. Only by ignoring fear and taking action, will women find leadership courage.

You are an intelligent and talented person. You are not going to up and quit your job tomorrow without putting some kind of plan in place. Yes, there is some risk involved, but you're a smart cookie and you would never let it come to that. Stop the horror stories, already.

I felt fortunate to witness this incredibly awkward moment was because it illustrated to me an important lesson both in human frailty and in human resilience. It was one of the worst possible things that could go wrong -- followed by a surprising and excellent recovery which I saw as tremendously reassuring.

There have been countless times in 2015 that I've wanted to post something and didn't bother. Occasionally these posts can be found in my drafts but most often they are deleted. Why do I let this happen? Surely someone must care for what I have to say? But then I think again.

About one in five people have some fear of going to the dentist, often stemming from a traumatic experience. Even general life anxiety can manifest into fear of the dental chair. Many of these people cancel appointments or avoid dental visits altogether. And for those who do come in, it's often when a dental issue is far more advanced and harder to treat.

No one sat down near her. How is it that she cleared a section of a subway car at rush hour without saying a word? She wears a hijab. She is a young person of colour whose religion is outwardly apparent. What is happening to girls and women like her in public places is nothing short of disgraceful.

Indeed, most instances of "faking it" are caused by the usual reasons, most of which are innocuous. It's the more insidious ones that we, as parents, need to be aware of so that we can address the causes at the basis of why our children are avoiding school.

The Alberta battleground riding of Edmonton-Mill Woods became one of only two ridings in the city and one of only four ridings in the province to go Liberal. For the first time in a decade, Edmonton-Mill Woods is not a Conservative domain. This is only one example of a larger trend across Canada.

Everybody has fear. My particular brand of fear usually involves worrying about what people will think of me. Writing publicly about that fear now only punctuates it further. I care way too much about what people think of me and how I'm perceived. I like to say that I'm a recovering approval-seeker, but it's a long road, baby.

How is fear deciding your fate? How is it affecting the decisions you make, the paths you take or don't take? Light a candle and reflect. Or take a night drive and think. It's funny -- as soon as you start to see fear clearly, it looks a lot less scary. So take a deep breath and stare it down.

People often ask us, "What's the one thing you have to do to find the right partner after having experienced a major heartbreak?" Our unequivocal answer is: Overcome fear. It's the one critical factor that gets in the way of individuals venturing on the romantic recovery path.

The Harper government's attempt to frighten voters should be recognized for what it is -- baseless propaganda designed to woo votes in the midst of an election. While there will undoubtedly be some undesirables in the refugee crowd, our immigration processes are perfectly capable of flagging and filtering out those risks. Canadian lives will not be threatened if we let in Syrian refugees. The irony, however, is that the lives of Canadians and our European friends may well be threatened if we do not. The tide of undocumented refugees will continue to flow into Europe if we fail to provide an alternative exit to those refugees still struggling to survive in camps in Turkey and elsewhere in the Middle East.

So, is there a lesson in PTSD for all of us? Yes, most definitely. If abandoned in fear, past trauma has a way of writing itself into your future like a voracious virus, but if you are willing to face it head on, you may find yourself attuned to the lesson of growth within its whisper.

Just think of all the things you've done because of fear. Stayed in a shitty relationship. Failed to speak up. Studied the wrong thing. Did what you were told. Kept the soul-crushing job. Stayed small. Held back. Watched from the sidelines.

Running your own business is pretty fucking sweet, no question. But let's keep it real, people. Entrepreneurship is also challenging, humbling, and exhausting, especially when you're just starting out. What can you expect in your first year of business? Here's the naked truth about mine...

Acquired Risk Aversion Syndrome seems to be everywhere these days. That's what I'm calling the tendency of people to get less adventuresome as they go through life. I don't mean to create panic but ARAS is alarmingly prevalent and I keep running into more people who are suffering from it.

Over the past few years, I've written extensively about, and on many occasions have spoken candidly of my struggles with addiction, mental health issues, and sexual violence. I have grown to believe that the greatest antidote to fear is honesty, and it's with this in mind, that I share the following with you. For the past few months, I've engaged in a convoluted relationship with time. It all started out rather innocent. Hours were slipping away from me, and I had absolutely no idea how to account for that lost time.

I was recently at a restaurant and overheard the patrons to my right having a discussion. One of them said: "You should never make decisions out of fear." Everyone at the table seemed to nod approvingly at this piece of advice.